HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0377.080 2024-2026From: Rosemary Bearden
Sent: Monday, August 18, 2025 8:57 AM
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Support Res. 234-25
Aloha Committee Members,
My name is Rosemary Bearden, I am a conservation scientist and lifelong resident of Hawaii Island, and I
strongly support Res. 234-25. US Military training at Pohakuloa has already caused serious harm --
burning nearly 20,000 acres, contaminating the land, and threatening endangered species endemic to
Hawai'i. Beneath this area lies a major aquifer that supplies fresh water to Hawaii Island, and the
military's track record shows they are not equipped to protect it.There is also serious concern about
depleted uranium left in the soil, which can become airborne during exercises and has known health
risks. Pohakuloa is a wahi pana- a sacred place with deep cultural and ecological significance. As a
conservation scientist, I am telling you that continued military use is incompatible with Pohakuloa's
conservation status and the values of aloha'aina. I have been working at native species restoration sites
on Mauna Kea and Pu'u Wa'awa'a and felt the ground shaking from the bombs being dropped in
Pohakuloa, only a few miles away. We cannot effectively restore the land and ensure the health and
safety of the people and native species who rely on it while military training continues at Pohakuloa.
Please support this resolution to protect the land, water, and people of Hawai'i.
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Rosemary Bearden
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Ref. Date UG 9 2025